Wellness news: The spa-ification of the dental office, a personalized Nordic ritual and a new guide to stretching

If cringing about getting your teeth cleaned is partially a result of the sterile look of your dentist’s office, you’ll be happy to hear that some clinics are getting a makeover. Digital lifestyle publication Glossy calls it a spa-ification, citing cosmetic dentists in New York and Los Angeles who are redesigning their spaces to resemble hotel spas. The glow up isn’t limited to doctors who service celebs, though. Derek Chung opened Paste Dental in downtown Toronto in November. His waiting room boasts a marble floor, plush velvet wall coverings and a statement floral arrangement on the reception desk. The chairs in the treatment rooms are upholstered in a luxe caramel faux leather and patients get to watch Netflix while his staff get to work. “We’re trying to rewrite the negative aspects of what it means to go to the dentist,” he says. “We emphasize to our patients that we want to see them regularly. But what are we doing to appeal to people and to foster that relationship where people enjoy being here?”

Paste Dental, 2-373 King. St. W., Toronto, paste.dental

Spa

Personal service

In Victoria’s Harris Green neighbourhood, Ritual Nordic Spa (ritualnordicspa.com) offers visitors a variety of sauna-focused therapies. The modern take on a Nordic bathhouse includes four saunas, a steam room, salt lounge and cold plunge pool. While the circuit is intended to be a social experience (a lounge with drinks and Scandinavian-inspired snacks is available for guests at the end of their time in the waters), Ritual offers two of its saunas for private bookings. An infrared sauna, which is a less-intense heat, is available for one-hour bookings for one to two people, while the traditional cedar sauna, which accommodates up to four, can be booked along with a cedar soaking tub for a private mini-circuit experience.

Obsession

The Movement Miracle Canadian Cover Book Jacket — The Movement Miracle.Supplied

By the book

Yes, I know I should stretch. Do I? Rarely. But after moving through some of the Essentrics sequences in The Movement Miracle, by Miranda Esmonde-White, I find I’m less prone to stiffness and am generally moving easier. The book is a culmination of Esmonde-White’s work; trained at Canada’s National Ballet School, you might recognize her from her PBS program Classical Stretch, in which she leads full-body workouts of gentle fluid movements. “Most people don’t know about anatomy and how their body works, and once they understand how it works, they’re more likely to take care of it properly – and are more motivated to do so,” she says in an interview. Along with explaining anatomy, including what proper postural alignment looks like and the role of fascia in posture, she dissects each movement, including a guide to which joints and muscles it uses, and then provides a collection of movement sequences, from everyday activities like walking the dog to sport-specific routines (ranging from ballet to basketball) to addressing chronic-pain issues. No equipment is needed for the sequences and they are designed to be safe for all ages.

The Movement Miracle: The Essentrics stretch program to increase strength, improve mobility and become pain free, $40 at bookstores and online (penguinrandomhouse.ca).

Investment buy

A view of Hidden Lake in Banff National Park near Lake Louise.Todd Korol/The Canadian Press

Park it

You’re now able to book your 2023 camping site or reserve a cabin at Parks Canada’s 40 national sites through parks.canada.ca/voyage-travel/reserve. Access to reservations is being rolled out over two weeks, with different regions opening bookings on different days – Ontario’s parks can be booked as of March 21, while Newfoundland and Labrador’s open on March 31. Grabbing a campsite can be a competitive affair, so online, Parks Canada shares tips on how to navigate the process, what to do if your first choice isn’t available (hint: if your dates are flexible, try searching through a monthly view versus a single weekend) and alternatives to the country’s more popular parks.

Business

Gwyneth Paltrow speaks onstage at In goop Health Summit Los Angeles 2019.Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Gone Goop

In January, British news outlets reported Goop’s exit from England, with the permanent closure of its London store, just four years after it opened and a revenue loss of £1.4-million (about $2.3-million). It comes at a time when many are questioning the continued success of celebrity-led wellness brands. In a story published last month by Inews.co.uk, reporter Jessica Barrett wrote that “celebrity-driven brands simply [have] not kept up with the current ‘algorithm economy.’” Gen Z is increasingly looking to word-of-mouth referrals and user reviews, which they deem to be most authentic, as well as advice from experts versus celebrities.